Friday Photo Favorites: April 28 – May 4, 2014

Jen at Ramblings of a Suburban Mom hosts a Friday Photo Favorites linkup and its a fun way to post a few (or bunch) pictures from the week.

I’m halfway to being caught up with my updates, and this one is actually on a Friday (damn it, I missed it by 1 minute)!  We were in Vegas last Friday, so obviously I wasn’t going to get around to it when I had to snuggle my nephew AND my baby boy.

1. – 4. We have a pretty good eater on our hands!  We are mostly doing Baby-Led Weaning and he loves to feed himself and so far has loved everything.  The principle behind it is that you allow your baby to feed himself the amount that he wants without forcing anything on him.  You wait until they show that they are ready to eat (sitting up well, showing interest in food) and give them foods they can handle themselves (like soft finger foods), and allow them to gum the food and explore the different tastes.  Since breastmilk provides all of the nutrients that babies need, they say “food before 1 is just for fun”. The outcome of it is supposed to be that they learn to like a variety of foods and to eat the amount that they want (versus the amount you “think” they should) – and soon enough can just give them bits of food that you are preparing for yourself, instead of making a separate meal.  Babies who are younger than 6 months need purees because they have tongue-thrust reflex and only know to suck food to the back of their mouths (like they do with milk)…and since they can’t hold their heads up perfectly yet, they would be likely to choke.  So anyway…he’s eating avocados and green beans – loved them both!

5. Baby at the bar night!  Not really, but kind of.  We usually go to get something to eat at the sports bar that sponsors our volleyball team after our games, and if it’s an early game, I pick up Lo and Jenson.  Then Julie gets some baby time.  And now that he’s “eating”, he wants everything that anyone else is eating or drinking.
6. We bought praying mantis egg cases to hatch in the yard this year to hopefully help to control the bugs.  I don’t really want to spray because I don’t want to kills the bees…and our dog grazes on grass like she’s a cow.  A few of the egg cases disappeared (hungry predators), but this one and another are still hanging around to hatch.
7. We got a Kinderpack!  We wanted to get a carrier that would be more comfortable for a heavier baby and could eventually be worn on our backs.  We went to try on several soft-structured carriers, and the Kinderpack was the one that fit both of us best.  Of course, it was the most expensive, but we’ll likely use it as much as our stroller, so it’s worth it.
8. After our first walk with our Kinderpack. I had Lo take this picture because I picked a stalk of asparagus from the garden and Boof kept trying to eat it from my hand.

9. Family selfie!  I don’t remember why I was taking this, but Lo popped up in the doorway.
10. Lo wearing Jenson at our nieces volleyball tournament.  Jenson hung out in the carrier with one of us wearing him all day and was either happy or napping.
11. Taking a break out of the carrier at the tournament.  He was happy to kick around on my lap.
12. Kisses from Nana

13. Playing around
14. It totally looks like I’m sleeping or exhausted in this picture, but I just was looking down when he took it.
15. Jenson was playing on the floor and Boof brought her hedgehog down and was playing with it right by his head.
16. And then she just left it there beside him.  I think she saw he was wearing a hedgehog shirt and thought he’d want her stinky toy.

17. After-bath mohawk
18. With his cousin Emma
19. And cousin Lydia
20. Playing games with Aunt Amber

21. – 24. Thirty weeks and 7 months old!!!

25. We got a preview back from our photo shoot and Oh my gosh…look how adorable.
26. Boof is pretty cute too, even when her lip is stuck.
27. The only “good” sunspot was on the back of the couch, so she climbed up there to lay.  It was quite a struggle because the back cushions aren’t attached.28. I don’t know how the Brutus pillow pal ended up in her bed, but she sure didn’t mind cuddling with it.